PR is more data-driven than ever (and so it should be)

Marketing is one of the most data-driven industries today. Hackathons, data driven creativity, dynamic content engines and social media strategies are driven by insights from data. 

One of the difficulties with measuring PR is that it is intangible and cannot necessary be tracked (yet) but data can show you something that is tangible.

Communications people typically use data less than their marketing peers do. Unless you are doing a research project for clients, it is often seen as an afterthought. How do you know your comms has affected someone to buy something? How do you know that opinion piece has made someone come and work for you without evidence?

Data in PR can be used in so many ways outside of just coverage tracking. It can be used to deep-dive into conversations, find out what content will be best placed and predict what conversations people will be having in months to come (and it’s happening already)

PR professionals are generally good at navigating what will go down well when live, but to have data back it up, is a resource we could benefit from.

There are some fantastic tools available to track coverage, but think about what else you can measure that data can help with. Like any comms professional, you should ask what other insights you can uncover from data that will add value to your client and overall comms strategy.

This then brings PR into your marketing mix for truly tangible business results. Everything is becoming trackable and accountable (and quite rightly in my view)

You can then learn and adapt as any successful business does. Did that opinion piece spike visits to your website? Did that press release spark more news coverage and interesting conversations?

This isn’t anything new and there are still many functions to a PR person’s role. Journalist relationships are still key, but PR pros need to mix with their marketing friends to drive the case for more data driven PR to further add value to clients businesses.